All mountain heights and prominences on the list are from the largest-scale maps available.[2] However, heights sometime conflict on different scales. For example, the Fletschhorn is indicated to be 3993, 3982, and 3984.5 m high on the 1:100'000, 1:50'000 and 1:25'000 Swisstopo map, respectively. The (rounded) elevation given by the largest scale map is always used in this table. Also, the deepest points in connecting ridges are not always survey points with spot elevations, so that heights have to be estimated from contour lines. For example, maps often provide heights for the place where a route passes over a ridge rather than for the lowest point of that pass.

The list contains 451 mountains with a prominence higher than 300 m, among which 24 are above 4000 m, 64 above 3500 m, 208 above 3000 m, 321 above 2500 m, 384 above 2000 m, 417 above 1500 m and 443 above 1000 m. The average and median heights are respectively 2812 and 2956 m. The great majority of the summits are located in the Alps, the other being located in the Jura Mountains. On average, each summit is the culminating point of an area corresponding to 91.5 km2.[3]

These 451 major summits are found in 22 different cantons.[Note 1] 3 cantons (Valais, Bern and Graubünden) have summits above 4000 m, 9 cantons have summits above 3000 m, 15 cantons have summits above 2000 m and 21 cantons have summits above 1000 m. Two cantons have more than 100 summits: Graubünden (152) and Valais (104), while eleven cantons have less than 10 summits. 82 of the summits are on cantonal borders. A number of mountains (e.g. Titlis, Chasseral, Lägern) straddle borders as well, but have their summit on one side of the border. In the list, only the location of the culminating point is considered.

^ abAll mountain heights and prominences are from the 1:25,000 Swisstopo topographic maps. Key cols of mountains above 2500 m were verified using the SRTM data based contour lines in the terrain view of Google maps.

^The three main sources for first ascent data are:
For the Western Alps; W.A.B. Coolidge, The Alps in nature and history, Methuen & Co, London, 1908.
For the Central Alps; Gottlieb Studer, Über Eis und Schnee: Die höchsten Gipfel der Schweiz und die Geschichte ihrer Besteigung, Volumes 1-3, Schmid & Francke, Bern, 1896-1899.
For the Eastern Alps: Die Erschließung der Ostalpen, Volumes 1-3, German and Austrian Alpine Club, Berlin, 1894.
Given are the years for the first recorded ascents. In many cases local people or surveyors made earlier ascents. In particular, chamois and ibex hunters are expected to have reached many summits. Years in italics indicate that it is known that an earlier ascent was made, for example by the presence of artifacts on top or the summit's prior use as a triangulation point.